Veil of Crimson

The Clock Is Ticking

I stride into the interrogation room like I own it. Nunez sits there, looking like this has nothing to do with him. Natalie is watching him calmly, but with a hidden remorse on her face. She didn’t see this coming. Yeah, I didn’t see it either.

As I sit down, I put my hands together and just look at him. He returns the gaze, but I don’t say anything. He keeps watching me, and I keep staring right back at him. He doesn’t seem as calm as he was when we first met him in his office.

Natalie nudges me under the table, really discreetly. She is probably wondering what I’m doing as well, but I’m trying to make him burst under pressure. And by the looks of it, I’m starting to succeed. He’s moving his leg up and down in a swift motion. First sign of his nerves giving out.

I nudge her back in a reassuring way, trying to silently tell her to stay patient. I don’t remove my gaze from the guy’s face for a single second. He clearly isn’t liking this silence. But I don’t quit. Not until he breaks the silence. I want him to be first.

It doesn’t take him much longer. A few more seconds and he suddenly leans forward impatiently, gritting through his teeth: “What is this, a circus? A freak show? Why was I brought here?! I want my lawyer!”

I keep staring at him calmly, earning myself another nudge from Natalie. I guess I won’t be able to keep this up much longer. If I don’t speak up, she probably will. I lean forward, a serious expression covering my face.

“Mr. Nunez, I’d like to question you about the death of your employee, Gale Roberts,” I inform him. My response sends him through the roof. He bangs his hands against the desk, looking almost feral.

“I’ve told you everything I’ve known! You have no reason to arrest me!” he protests, making me realize that this is my chance to get something out of him. Before he refuses to say another word without his lawyer present.

“You told us that Roberts was trying to get Santiago fired, when they were actually patching things up. Santiago had no clue about it. Neither did the victim’s widow. Would you like to explain why you lied to us?” I wonder.

The guy shuts up instantly, only shaking his head in response. He grows pale, then looks away, crossing his arms against his chest. “I’m not saying anything else without my lawyer present,” he then says.

Fifteen minutes later, we’re still waiting for the said lawyer to arrive. I’m talking to the team that was with me in that gambling den. We don’t have much on Nunez. Everything is circumstantial. But if we could just get a warrant to search his properties, things could take a different turn.

I’m not exactly thrilled about having to throw a judge out of bed, but I need that warrant. We need some leverage on Nunez. If we get it within the next hour, I’m sending someone out to check his house.

We need to find the murder weapon. I know that this is the only shot I have left. It’s no coincidence that Nunez was at the gambling den today, I can feel it in my gut. But the problem is that I still have no way of proving that he’s the killer.

If only by some miracle we’d get our hands on the murder weapon, things would be so much easier. But that’s the thing. Nothing is easy in real life. As an officer, I’ve assisted on investigations that were left unsolved. I don’t want that to happen to my first ever case as a detective.

The attorney that arrives happens to be a woman. Great. Maybe she’ll be a little more reasonable than her client is. I tell my team to inform me if they hear back from the judge, then head into the interrogation room.

The woman shoots her eagle-eyed gaze at me the moment I open the door. “I’m trying to speak to my client in private here,” she informs me coldly, but I don’t chicken out. This isn’t the courtroom. This is my playfield.

“Your client is being investigated for a murder. Maybe now that you’re here, I can finally question him,” I suggest with a very fake smile plastered on my face. I’ve seen this woman around before, I think. She’s one of the best lawyers in New Orleans.

I think she works at the same office as my ex does. What a lovely way to remember him. Not. “My client won’t answer any of your questions, this arrest is based off of rumors, you have no evidence against him whatsoever,” she tells me.

I open the file that I’m holding, pointing out the part of the report where it states that Mr. Nunez said that the victim was trying to get his coworker fired. “He falsely threw suspicion on one of his employees. If he can just answer the rest of our question truthfully, I’d be more than happy to let him go,” I remark.

I’m lying, of course. There’s no way I’m letting this guy out of here not now, not ever. He’s the closest thing to a real suspect that I’ve put my hands on since this investigation started. There’s no way he’s walking out of here. Not on my watch.

The lawyer crosses her arms against her chest, then glances at her client in a disapproving way. Finally, she contemplates my words thoroughly and sits her ass down. I thought so.

I join her on the opposite side of the desk, taking my time to go through the file. I’m trying to buy some time in case that warrant comes in anytime soon. I’m really hoping it does, we could use it to our advantage.

“So, Mr. Nunez. Do you visit the gambling den under Fleur de Lys often?” I wonder when I hear the lawyer taking a deep breath. She was about to speak up, judging by that sharp inhale that she just made.

I look up from the file, meeting his narrowed eyes. He’s not happy about this at all. “What does this have to do with the investigation?” the lawyer wants to know. Jeez, what are you, his mother?

I send a sharp look at the woman. “It’s relevant because the cameras on the street proved that the killer got in from the underground tunnels. Tunnels which actually lead to your company,” I suggest, making her breathe in sharply again.

“Don’t answer that!” she demands from her client, before turning her eyes towards me. “Listen to me, Mr. Nunez doesn’t have to tell you anything he doesn’t want to, because you have nothing on him,” she declares.

I smile at her again, trying to act really confident. “Do you really think he’d be here if I had nothing on him?” I dare her, making her shut up instantly. She’s scanning my face like she’s trying to figure out if I’m bluffing. I hope she can’t.

She doesn’t say anything for a few moments, but I’m already continuing my questioning. Or trying to start it, really. Because this guy clearly has his lips sealed. I’m trying to change that, while I still have the chance.

“Well, Mr. Nunez? If your attorney can vouch for your whereabouts on the day of the murder between eight and nine in the morning, she can answer for you. If not, I would kindly ask you to speak for yourself like the grown up you are supposed to be,” I speak up, knowing that I’m crossing a line. But I can’t help myself.

His lawyer doesn’t shut up, of course. “Are you hearing yourself? Disrespect my client one more time and I’m going to report you to your supervisor! You won’t be working on a single case in your life anymore! You’ll be collecting parking tickets before you can even blink your eye!”

I simply glance at her shortly, before turning to Nunez with a questioning gaze. “Well? If you don’t answer, I’ll have even more reasons to keep you here. Or is there a problem?” I wonder.

He keeps silent, and so does the attorney. Suddenly, Michael’s face pops into the interrogation room. “Boss, can I talk to you for a sec?” he wonders, having a serious expression covering his face.

I glance at him, hoping that he doesn’t bring bad news. “Of course,” I tell him, already getting up from the desk. The woman is about to protest again, but I raise my hand at her before she can open her mouth. “I won’t take long, I promise. You can talk to your client in private now, as you wished,” I assure her.

Michael leads me into the room that overlooks the one I was just in, closing the door behind us. Jerry, Natalie and Didi are all still in there. “What’s going on?” I want to know, glancing between them all to get some answers.

“We just wanted to tell ya … We got the warrant. Judge Thompson owed me a favor, so we’re approved. We’re splitting up. Two of us are going to head to Nunez’ house and two of us are going to head to NoLeaks to search his office. We’ll try to find something that’s going to connect him to Roberts,” Didi tells me.

My face lights up, and I finally find some hope in this situation. “Oh my gosh, this is great! That lawyer is going to be the death of me. I’m going in and I won’t be letting them go until I get some answers. You guys go make me proud. I’ll be stalling for as long as I can,” I assure them.

I let them leave, then wait in the room for some time longer. The two of them are quiet, because they’re probably suspecting that someone’s watching them. No big deal. I can wait a little longer. I’m hoping to hear something that I could use against them.

But this attorney seems to be really careful. She keeps looking towards the door. It leaves me desperate, until a stupid idea pops into my head. I don’t know why I do it, but it’s my last resort, really.

I record myself, pretending to be talking on the phone. To the judge who provided us with a warrant. I throw myself into it, protesting and talking about how getting a warrant is crucial, because we’re sure that the murder weapon is hidden on the suspect’s property.

I end the so-called phone call by telling her that we’re letting a murderer walk away with clean hands. I make sure that I sound really desperate, before finally deciding to end the fake call. As I stop recording, I realize I’ve put up a good five minutes of the act. Great. It should be enough for them to open up.

I get out, set the volume on the maximum, then start looking at my watch as I put the phone on the ground and start playing the recording. I disappear back into the room, glancing between the suspect and his attorney and my watch. I can’t lose track of time.

The moment I notice them turning towards the door, I realize they’re hearing the recording. As it gets to the part about requesting a warrant, the lawyer glances at Nunez. “Do you have an alibi?”

Nunez doesn’t answer immediately. He waits a while, clearly listening to my fake conversation outside. Judging by the timing, I’m going to get to the part when I mention the murder weapon soon.

“You said that I don’t have to answer any questions,” he simply tells her in response, making her narrow her eyes at him.

“Damn it, Nunez, I’m trying to help you out here! That Detective is going to be back with more questions soon and I can’t just drag you out of here! Not when you lied to her in the first place!” she hisses at him.

I glance at the watch. One more minute. Come on, give me something I can use against you, before the time runs out. Nunez is stubborn and keeps quiet for a long time. He speaks up in the last few seconds. When I’m already on my way out, desperate because I got nothing.

“It doesn’t matter. They didn’t get the warrant. I’m safe,” he remarks, making me widen my eyes. Oh, he has no idea. I get out just as I end the fake call on the recording. I pick up my phone and enter the interrogation room, shoving it into my pocket.

The two of them both look at me like I’ve startled them. I stand on the spot for a moment, blinking a couple of times. “I hope I’m not interrupting something. If you need more time, I can go out and leave you alone,” I remark.

The lawyer shakes her head. “No, you’re not interrupting anything. My client is ready to answer your questions now,” she informs me, making me smile in response.

I stall for as long as I can. Nunez tells me that he was working at the time of the murder, that he and the victim had a good relationship and that today was his first time at the gambling den. I don’t believe a single thing coming out of his mouth. Not after I heard him confirm that my team is going to find something.

I try to keep it up for as much time as possible. At one moment, I apologize to them because I have to go get myself some water. I even ask them if they’d like to get something too, but they both turn me down.

As I walk to the vending machine, I call Didi. She answers on the second ring. I quickly explain the ruse that I set up and what I overheard Nunez saying. “Look in every corner that you can think of, that murder weapon has to be hidden somewhere, I’m sure of it,” I tell her.

Just as I’m about to hang up to call Michael, my phone start ringing. Didi is calling me back. She only says three words, but they’re enough to make a genuine smile appear on my face. “We got it.”